This post brought to you by Oriental Trading. All opinions are my own.
My oldest is turning 13 this week and she decided she wanted a more grown-up party. So this past weekend we held a Tea Party Birthday Party for 5 of her closest friends. Shopping thrift stores and online, I was able to host this fun and relaxing party for under $150, though if you make your own cake, you can do it for well under that.
I’ve already shared the Tea Party Birthday Invite that I created, which was a huge hit among the moms of the attendees:
The party was a sit down lunch affair that I hosted at our house. I picked up tea cups and saucers, a tea pot, and sugar and creamer containers at Goodwill for a steal. I love the way the mismatch china looks.
Most of the decorations came from Oriental Trading’s Vintage Collection. Oriental Trading sent me the hanging fans, flag banner, lace fans, snake bracelet chains, tea charms and rose beads, the suitcase centerpiece, pin wheel picks, dinner napkins, table runner and coordinating 12×12 paper. All of that only totals $88, but I found a promo code online and received $10 off.
The table runner is a double sided coated paper. It came rolled up in a tube so the edges did curl up a bit, but it was very pretty and added the right touch to the table. I used some of the sheets of scrapbook paper as place mats. The garland came in 8′ strands so I cut them in half to better fit my purposes.
The table cloths were flat bed sheets I had in my linen closet – always look around your home to see what you already have!
The tea pot that I found at Goodwill was plain white so I spruced it up with a little paint. The girls had ice tea and water for beverages.
The gorgeous Ombre Rosette cake came from a local baker, Cakeistry. If you are in Franklin County, Vermont, I definitely recommend them. They also put together the cake pops that I added to the favor boxes… and of course the girls devoured the cake pops that I had on the dessert table in minutes. There was only one left after the party so my younger two kids and I split it. And let me tell you, it was DELICIOUS! They keep asking me if we can buy some more, so thank you to Cakeistry! If you want to try their cake pops and are in St. Albans, you can find them at The Traveled Cup, the new coffee shop on Main Street.
For food I put together cucumber sandwiches. First I soaked the thinly sliced cucumber in a bit of lemon juice and salt. I then buttered the bread, and added a slice or two of cucumber. I also made cinnamon crescent rolls and star shaped peanut butter and jam sandwiches. My daughter requested fruit kabobs and I also put out the left over cucumber slices. The favor boxes I made using the scrapbook paper from Oriental Trading and my Silhouette.
In addition to lunch, we also played a few games. The first one we played was Grammy Dress Up. I shared the rules when I shared my Mini Top Hat Tutorial, so make sure to check that out! I ended up adding a twist: they had to wear my husbands size 13 shoes! I was almost rolling on the ground with laughter. All of the girls were really good sports with this one! The group that won received mini-nail polish and lip gloss.
After cake the girls made Tea Party Bracelets from the bracelets, beads and charms that I got from Oriental Trading.
The last game I had them play was Cracker Whistle. I gave them a small cup of Goldfish crackers. I told them to start eating and counted down from 5 and that was their signal to try to whistle. Of course crackers dry your mouth out and make this whole task very, very hard… and very funny!
The rest of the time the girls had free time to hang out and chat. Overall it was a great time. I can’t believe my girl is almost 13! Where does time go?
DISCLAIMER: Oriental Trading provided me with a $75 gift card to purchase items. No other compensation was received. All opinions are 100% mine.
Kim is a Marketing Specialist with Inspiration Media Solutions by day and Blogger by night. She's a wife, mom of three beautiful children and two fur-babies, a Goldendoodle and a rescued Pibble. For even more Inspiration Made Simple, like her on Facebook and Instagram+.
My name is Kim, founder of Inspiration Made Simple, and I'm really glad you have stopped by!
I'm a mom, wife, DIY and fitness enthusiast. I love sharing simple and affordable ideas that help make your busy life easier, including craft tutorials, printables, recipes, party ideas, and fun family activities. Learn more about Kim...
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you seriously are too too cute. I love this!